The “FAUX-IZNIK” :
Fake Izniks because the only real ones are very old and adorn the walls of Topkapi and the mosques of Istanbul.
Unfortunately, current Turkish production, whether too laborious or too skillful, is in any case manufactured to become
“souvenirs from Türkiye”.
Their exorbitant price could eventually lead to the purchase of a nasty manufactured decal copy
by machine in Italy, but certainly not to cover walls with it.
So I left Istanbul both dazzled by the old tiles, and at the same time very disappointed
not being able to add a single tile from this superb tradition to our stores. But then, having seen the tiles again
of Iznik and observing their extraordinary brilliance in the light of my recent culture of tiling made me discover a similarity
of technique with that of Indian potters established in Jaipur.
By what long route this technique has traveled, I do not know, but there is indeed the use of a clever mixture where dominate
quartz and glass, which ultimately gives the enameled surface a very different shine and depth from that of the glaze on the terracotta.
So I drew some floral motifs, more or less stylized and still vibrant from my meeting with the Izniks.
The Indians immediately integrated them, they who live in such an intertwined way with plants and animals that these
seem to spring up everywhere literally and figuratively, sharing spaces with men in the street, painted or sculpted
in every available corner.
Here are hand-painted tiles, with a nimble squirrel tail hair brushstroke,
for the bathrooms of contemporary pashas.
But since then, as we have stopped scouring the world for rare tiles, our stock has almost gone.
and we have removed them from the catalog while continuing to sell the remaining ones until they run out.
We still have to hope that, also aware of climate issues, we will not be replaced by intensive tourism!
I also attempted a “Hand Painted” version in my studio, but quite far from my “style”
and in any case very expensive because of the many colors requiring cooking for each of them.
As a souvenir, here are some images of the lovely creations of Maria Speake (Retrouvius) with our “faux-Iznik”:
